Have something super timely to share with your Facebook audience, but don't want to go live and show your face? The social network has just the thing.
Facebook on Tuesday introduced Live Audio, a new feature that lets you "tell a story… with words and not video." With this new option, you can go live on the platform with audio only — perfect for those times you have something to say but don't want to show your mug.
In a blog post, Facebook Product Specialist Shirley Ip and Software Engineer Bhavana Radhakrishnan said some Pages have already come up with creative ways to go live with audio only, by affixing their camera on a still image during their broadcast, for instance. The feature should make it a lot easier. It may also be especially useful when you're trying to go live from an area with weak network connectivity, they said.
"From interviews to book readings, we're excited about the layer of interactivity that Live Audio brings to both the broadcaster and listener," Ip and Radhakrishnan wrote. "We know that people often like to listen to audio while doing other things; people using Android devices will be able to continue listening to a Live Audio broadcast even if they leave the Facebook app or lock their phones, while iOS listeners will be able to continue listening as they browse other parts of Facebook."
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Facbook will be testing the feature over the next few weeks with several partners, including BBC World Service, LBC, Harper Collins, and authors Adam Grant and Britt Bennett. The new format should be more broadly available to publishers and people early next year.
You'll be able to discover these Live Audio broadcasts right from your News Feed and interact with them just like you can live videos — by asking questions and leaving reactions in real time, and/or sharing the broadcast with friends.
The new feature comes after Facebook just last week debuted Live 360, which combines Live and 360-degree videos.